Victory for the First Amendment and first responders won in a Pennsylvania court when a judge issued a ruling on a municipality’s ban on the “Thin Blue Line” flag.
While the Overton window of victimhood routinely shifts the cultural landscape further to the left, US District Judge Karen Marston’s recent court opinion reminded us that God-given rights supersede a shifting political narrative. Specifically, it found that the Springfield Township Board could not override free speech even on “racist” concerns.
The judge wrote in her official opinion: “The municipality repeatedly suggests that the American flag on the ‘Thin Blue Line’ has limited, if any, value or public concern because it is ‘offensive’ and ‘racist.’ But, as this court previously said in Township , “the First Amendment protects speech even when it is deemed `offensive.’
He even went so far as to attack the board of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, outside of Philadelphia, as his view of the flag “sometimes borders on professionalism” and a detriment to the morale of local police who say that he had suffered a “significant impact of repeated claims that police officers, and not just the flag, are racist.”
As reported in January, the board had voted 5-2 to ban the display of the familiar black-and-white American flag with the lone blue stripe, suppressing speech by township employees individually and on township property .
Commissioner Ed Graham had said at the time, “When you wave that flag, it’s like, for African Americans, the waving of a Confederate flag,” a sentiment that had also seen officials in Los Angeles, California and outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota. they face a crackdown for supporting their fellow police officers.
The police chief of the city of Golden Valley, Minnesota, Virgil Green, had even apologized for causing “unwarranted controversy between the police and the public” after he posted a message on National Appreciation Day of Law Enforcement with the flag “to say thank you to our police officers.”
The black police chief’s appreciation of the thin blue line causes a backlash, forcing him to apologizehttps://t.co/QvmSKHevLr
— American Wire News (@americanwire_) January 18, 2023
The Associated Press pointed out that Springfield’s “tensions” date back to a 2021 vote to incorporate the flag into its logo, and that the union had refused to change after requests. In October 2022, the township manager and attorney had issued a cease-and-desist letter to the union stating that it “needlessly exacerbates the ongoing conflict between police officers and the communities they serve.”
Backed by the state police union, the lawsuit was filed by the officers against the municipality, arguing that the flag represented “the preservation of the rule of law, the protection of peace and freedom, the sacrifice of fallen law enforcement officers and the dedication of law enforcement offices.”
Although he sided with police rights, Marston also appeared to side with the leftist in his opinion when he opted for sanctions on the municipality, writing: “However, it is undeniable that the flag has racist overtones to certain members of the community. . . Indeed, the individual plaintiffs admitted that they have been told that the flag has racial overtones.”
In his own response to the ruling, officer Wally Zimolong’s attorney said, “This was a resounding victory for the First Amendment and free speech. It showed once again that the government cannot participate in viewpoint discrimination based on a message you disagree with or find offensive.”
That sentiment was shared as social media users expressed their support for freedom of speech, particularly the “Thin Blue Line” flag and the sacrifice of those it represents.
Very happy with this update
— Victoria Anzaku (@victoria_anzaku) November 14, 2023
Imagine trying to ban a flag that represents the people who keep our communities safe
— Chris (@subsoular) November 14, 2023
The flag is a symbol of support for law enforcement, not a sign of defiance or white supremacy.
— Global Alert Desk (@globalalertdesk) November 14, 2023
Finally!!!! Grab these bookstores!!! pic.twitter.com/3CbNnxsDxN
— Captain JT Kirk (@CaptainJTKirk4) November 14, 2023
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